The Mermaid and the Lonely Boy
by Cal reflector
Summary: Long after the events of CCS and fulfilling their roles for Clow and destiny, Touya and Nakuru lead normal lives in present day Japan. This is their story of searching for and finding happiness.


**The Mermaid and the Lonely Boy**

She bowls like a maniac, winding up like a windmill and launching with such velocity he was sure the ball did not touch down until it was halfway down the length of the lane.

When the ball struck dead center and scattered the pins, she fist-pumped and spun around, pointing both fingers in his direction. "In your face, Kinomoto!"

Touya checked the scoreboard; he knew he'd be buying again tonight.

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"Akizuki-san, you're amazing. You could go pro!"

At the bar co-workers from their companies gushed over Nakuru's superhuman feats. She drank it all in, washing down the attention with stein after stein of beer. That drew the admiration of his male colleagues, a few whom challenged her to a drinking match. Touya smiled wryly; he knew better.

Later in the bathroom he overheard just how much an impression she had made. "She's unbelievable. Chugs like a bro, looks like a model."

"Give it up, man. She'd never get drunk enough to go home with you."

"Yeah, did you not hear Akito and Naoto puking outside?"

"Kinomoto, you knew Akizuki from university, right? Is she available?"

Suddenly at the center of unwelcome attention, Touya turned off the faucet. "I think she has a boyfriend in England."

The young men sighed and collectively shook their heads, saying _"I told you so_." Touya crumpled the paper towel into a tight wad and threw it in the bin.

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It was well-past midnight when the group blind date broke up. He started home when he felt a familiar weight latch onto him from behind. "Toy-ya! Toy-ya! Why didn't you talk to me tonight?"

"You looked busy."

"Aww, are we jealous?" When he began to walk away she locked her arms around his waist and pulled with all her might. "Wait, wait! Can I stay at your place tonight?"

He sighed. The trains had stopped, and getting to her apartment by taxi would have been exorbitant. "You could transform and fly home."

"And get caught on someone's phone?" She shook her head furiously, burrowing deeper between his shoulders. "Then it's shared on YouTube, then NASA and the men in black come knocking. No sir, I like my life just fine, thank you very much."

For as long as he could remember, Nakuru tried her hardest to be human. It began when she came back to Japan—by herself—enrolling in the same university, during his third year on his way to a Master's degree. When asked she always replied, "I came back for the food. And you of course." He left it at that, but he never stopped wondering why; why she tried so hard.

 _What's so special about us?_

He looked around. It was cold and they were standing in the empty, shuttered streets. "Fine, but no one can know about this, especially at the office."

"Okay."

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They were what people called friends with benefits, a concept Touya knew but never embraced. Until recently—until her—he was always in love before he made love.

He grew up idolizing the relationship his parents had. They were in love but waited until they were married. After Nadeshiko died the survivors mourned, and he was even hungrier for the kind of relationship he remembered as the center of their life, their joy.

Kaho was his first, Yukito his second. The first time he was deeply, madly in love. He thought she was too.

The second time he sacrificed to give a part of himself away, believing this would cement their bond. It did not, and he left too, three semesters into university.

Including his mother's death, he had had his heart broken three times, each worse than the last. As he grew older he saw what happened to most relationships, and he realized that what his parents had was a miracle. Aunt Sonomi had told him as much.

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One a Sunday, after three grueling, exhilarating sets of tennis (6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (10-8)), their knees touched under the table in a cramped okonomiyaki restaurant. Nakuru went on eating like nothing was wrong, so he did nothing too. Throughout the unusually silent meal, he concentrated on her mouth as she chewed, her Adam's apple when she emptied her glass. Several times he caught her watching back.

When they finally got out of the restaurant she grabbed his hand and led him back to her apartment. By the time he kicked the door shut she had pulled off her shirt and was reaching for his, their urgency fueled by the innocuous, lingering contact, made unbearable by the silent foreplay. Her skin was salty from exercise, her lips tasted like lunch; he imagined he tasted the same.

The sun was setting when they were sated at last. Lying against each other on the soaked, twisted sheets, they decided on two things:

1) That this would not be the last.

2) That there would be no strings attached.

He was not in love with her, but when he was with her the emptiness inside him felt whole. It was as though he fed off her moon magic, the same he gave to Yukito to save him from vanishing.

He believed this was the case and asked her about it later. She shrugged. "What am I, a wizard? What matters is it made you feel good, right?"

 _Better than good._ "Right."

"And it was good for me, so I think we should keep doing it."

Who could argue with such logic?

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Nakuru was having lunch in the company cafeteria when her phone vibrated. "Excuse me a sec."

 _[Hi.]_

She smiled at the icon of a cartoon black collie with an annoyed look. _[Hi you.]_

 _[Company New Year's party. Want to come?]_

 _[Ooh. Where is it?]_

 _[The Palace Hotel.]_

 _[Such class. How could a girl refuse?]_

 _[Great. See you later]_

After she put her phone away one a co-worker leaned in, "Boyfriend?"

"Just a friend."

"Yeah right." The ladies laughed. "We're friends, and you don't have that look when we message you."

"You might think that, I couldn't possibly comment."

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Touya could not help but stare; he'd never seen her wear lipstick, or a dress like _that_. She did a little pirouette to give him a full inspection. "How do I look?"

 _Stunning._ "Overselling it a bit, no?"

"What's the point of being a girl if I don't doll up now and then?" She took his arm and led him towards the banquet hall, turning heads as she went. "C'mon. I see the bar."

They did not stay for the countdown, slipping out when the onstage entertainment reached a climax. In the elevator up, Touya looked at the hotel keys that had cost him an eye-watering sum. But when he felt the electricity from her fingers winding through his, he regretted nothing.

In the room, when they parted for breath, he saw the triumphant smile on her flushed face. "So you do like the dress."

"Yes."

They explored every inch of the room. The wall, the edge of the desk, the chaise lounge. They fogged over the large window with a million-yen view of Tokyo. The explored the shower, the desk again before finally reaching the bed.

Stillness returned as the distant fireworks abated and eventually ceased. She rested her head in the crook of his neck, fingers splayed across his chest, feeling the reassuring rhythm of his heart and the absence of the powers that initially drew her to him, long, long ago.

The thought occurred to her that if his life was in danger she'd gladly share her magic with him, even at the risk of vanishing herself.

 _Like the Little Mermaid._

"Nakuru?"

"Touya?"

"Thank you."

She planted a kiss on his jaw and snuggled closer until their bodies fit just right.

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Overtime, Touya learned things about her body he never knew before.

Like how she was incapable of being drunk and only _acted_ drunk when she was in the mood. How she ate purely for enjoyment and did not gain weight. She aged very slowly, though she could speed up the process if she felt like it. "Guess if I have periods."

Touya groaned. Who knew how thorough that little creep Eriol was when he created his guardians? Actually, he did, and if she did…, "Oh my God."

She burst into laughter and rolled onto her back, his blanket wrapped around her torso. "Your face! That was priceless."

He raised himself on his elbows. "This is not funny."

"Don't worry. You're not going to be a daddy, not through me, anyways." She recovered with a deep breath and turned to see him looking at her with concern and some emotion she could not name but which made her chest clench. "Come on; don't get all serious on me."

She reached up and stroked his shade of stubble. "I have all the pros and none of the cons of a girl's body. We're both beneficiaries, so cheer up, okay?"

"I thought you wanted to be human."

And then she spoke with such sincerity he had no words.

"I am when I'm with you."

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From the beginning they agreed there would be no strings attached, and yet, by intent or coincidence, their schedules tended to be busy for others and free for each other.

She would pounce on him every time they met, catching him in a flying bear hug from behind. She knew he found it embarrassing, and yet he continued to let his guard down, so she kept doing it, knowing full well—anticipating—that he'd repay her public displays of affection in private.

He was as insatiable as she was. There was no sound she liked more than his gasps. There was no sight she treasured more than to watch his stern features dissolve into relaxation as drowsiness overtook them.

She was voracious. He knew when he pleased her—loud, breathless approval followed by her returning the favor. Beyond the physical, she banished the gaping emptiness left inside him from the past. He gave her pleasure, but she gave him so, so much more.

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She was separating the junk in his mail when she saw two square envelopes posted from England. "Touya."

She watched him turn over the envelopes, the same kind she got near Christmas every year. He dropped them in the dustbin without opening them. She asked from behind him. "Are you sure?"

He did not reply. A moment later he heard her rummage through the drawers in his kitchen, followed by a quick scraping sound. He looked over his shoulder and saw her hold the flame from the lighter to the edge of the envelopes. "Wait, what…"

She waited until the flame caught fully before dropping them into the sink, where they burned a little more before she turned on the tap. When she was done she walked back to the living room and stood before him. "You weren't going to read them. Why tempt yourself?"

He bowed his head, knowing she was right. She placed her hands on his head and shoulder and drew him to her abdomen. Embarrassed with himself, he let her comfort him. "I'm sorry, I'm bad at letting go."

"You _suck_ at letting go."

He looked up at her. "And you? Anything you're bad at, Miss perfect?"

She appeared to give it some thought. Finally, she bent down and smiled at him before closing her eyes and resting her forehead against his. "I can't stand sharing."

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Touya was stretching from his work desk when his phone vibrated.

 _[Hey, birthday boy. Congrats on hitting the big 30!]_

 _[Thanks]_

 _[7:30. Don't be late.]_

That evening, when he opened the door to the family home he was greeted by party poppers and a choir of "Surprise!" His family was there, as were Tomoyo, Meiling, and Syaoran. He hugged everyone, including Syaoran. When not directing Fujitaka around the house Sonomi dotted on him like a mother. After dinner Tomoyo played a compilation of videos from his childhood through high school. Sakura baked him a beautiful cake. When the rest of the party was busying plating and clearing the table, his father sat down next to him. "Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"You look like you're doing well."

"Yeah, I'm doing fine."

They heard Nakuru call out from behind them. "Touya, do you want a big slice?"

"Sure!" Touya turned back to the TV that merely served as the backdrop to their conversation. "Better than fine, really."

"I see." Fujitaka nodded, patting him on his shoulder. "I'm happy for you, son."

After the party they went to Nakuru's apartment where she presented him with a brightly wrapped package. Touya grinned as he hefted it in his hands. "Wow, an actual present. When you said you'd give it to me at your place I thought that…"

"You thought what, you naughty boy?" She rested her face besides his, draping her arms around his shoulders as he unwrapped his gift.

She got him a pea coat and tried it on after he did. He had no doubt the gift would be doing double duty, splitting time between their closets. "Thanks, I have a gift for you too."

"But it's your birthday."

"So you don't want it?" She stuck out her hand in the universal gesture of _Gimme_. "Okay, close your eyes."

She obeyed. When she reopened them she stared at the silver band slipped onto her left ring finger. Fists clenched and clammy, Touya watched and waited.

…And waited. He cleared his throat, "Um…"

His vision was obscured by a whirl of brunette as she launched herself at him from a kneeling start, landing on top of him and knocking him onto the tatami floor.

"Oww." He raised himself and saw only the top of her head. Her fingers bunched into the front of his sweater, shoulders quaking. "Nakuru…"

"You idiot." Her voice was choked with tears, but when she looked up from his chest she was smiling. "This was not what we agreed on."

He stroked her back slowly, feeling every time she sobbed. "I know."

Her throat hurt, her nose was runny. She was laughing and crying, something she didn't know she was capable of, overwhelmed by feelings she didn't know she could feel; _human_ feelings. "You know we weren't meant to be together."

He remembered the people he thought he was meant to be with. "I know."

He scooted until his back was propped against her bed, continuing to hold her as his sweater became a Kleenex. "We weren't destined to be together, and that's okay, because even without Fate we found each other."

 _And that's kind of a miracle._

She sniffled. "You mean I found you."

"Yes, exactly." He chuckled as he dried her face with his sleeve. Pouting with her eyes red and face streaked, she was the most adorable sight he'd ever seen. He embraced her tightly, kissing the top of her head, whispering into her hair, "Thank you for coming back."

"You owe me big time, mister." She laughed and snuggled up against him. "All the effort, throwing myself at you; had I known sex would seal the deal I would have taken you to bed when we were in Tomoeda High."

"Things were different. We were different back then."

"I know. It's okay, I eventually got it right. And now…" Shifting to straddle him, she cupped his face, "At last, I've got you."

 _END_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** With free time during Christmas break, I looked for fanfic to read. After not finding any I wanted to read, I decided to shake off the rust and write something I would have wanted to read.

For that, I returned to one of my earliest fandoms and brought one of my favorite weird couples to present day, aged correspondingly. Overall, I was pretty satisfied how this turned out. I've written many stories with Touya and a few with Nakuru, but this time, at last, I feel like I've given her character more depth.


End file.
